Edd China talks about building the World’s Fastest Electric Ice Cream Van in “Workshop Diaries” episode 3
“Edd China’s Workshop Diaries” seems to be gaining more traction than the television host’s previous YouTube efforts. The show has actually made it to a third episode, where China talks about building the world’s fastest electric ice cream van, while also continuing a 1982 Land Rover Range Rover project from the previous episode.
As a recap, the Range Rover sas left parked for about 10 years, and now refuses to start. In the last episode, China hypothesized that a faulty fuel pump might be the problem, so for this episode he sets about diagnosing that problem.
China first checks to see if the fuel pump is getting any power, testing the fuse and then the wiring to the pump itself. After locating the pump, he uses a battery charger to give it some electricity. When that doesn’t get the pump spinning, the next step is to get at the pump itself to check if it’s seized, which doubles as a quick explainer of how to remove rusty bolts.
To get to the fuel pump, China also has to completely remove the fuel tank, and then remove layers of dirt and grime to access to the pump. The pump turns out to be rusty and unsalvageable, but at least having everything apart already makes replacing it a bit easier, right?
Edd China works on a 1982 Land Rover Range Rover
With the new fuel pump installed, a fuel leak still prevents the Range Rover from firing up, which China uses as a segue to a segment in which he answers viewers’ questions, and that leads us to the story of the ice cream van.
China has achieved multiple Guinness World Records over the years (including one for a drivable sofa), and began tackling the world’s fastest electric ice cream van record in 2018. He used a then-new van based on a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, electrifying not only the powertrain, but also the ice cream-making equipment. The completed van achieved a top speed of 73.921 mph, not very fast by automotive standards, but enough for the record.
The details of that build will likely be covered on future episodes, and we can expect further work on the neglected Range Rover. Click on the episode above for a deeper dive into the problems China faces with the Range Rover and the solutions he comes up with.